Now that the dust has started to settle on the shocking finale for The Last of Us fans are eager to learn more about when Joel, Ellie and their plight against post-apocalyptic terrors will return to their screens for season 2.
Back in January, HBO confirmed there will be a sophomore season, but how and when that will materialise is still up in the air. Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are keeping their cards close to their chests although, when quizzed by GQ in an interview, they teased some details around how the next instalment will play out.
“It’s more than one season,” said Druckmann. “You have noted correctly that we will not say how many. But more than one is factually correct,” added Mazin.
So when will it hit screens? I’m sorry to say that you may need to fill your Monday night dance card for quite some time as rumour has it we won’t receive the next season until 2024 or as late as 2025.
Internet daddy, Pedro Pascal, told Collider that filming could kick off this year, which is good news for fans hoping for an earlier release date.
“In the year 2023? What season are we in now? We’re getting into spring … yes, there is a chance,” he said. Given the overwhelming reception for this show, you’d think the team at HBO would be falling over themselves to get season 2 churning out asap.
Another topic of conversation on everyone’s lips is whether or not the beloved first season cast will be returning, given that The Last of Us 2 game is set five years in the future. Fans are particularly worried that Bella Ramsay won’t be able to fulfil the requirements of an older Ellie as the plotline becomes darker and more adult as it progresses.
However, they shouldn’t worry that their faves, including Ramsay and Pascal, won’t be reprising their roles after showrunner Craig Mazin made some comments about how they could transform the existing characters without changing the actors.
“There’s a little bit of interesting flexibility. [There’s] wonderful things that makeup can do,” he said in an interview with Collider. “We don’t get too wrapped up in that stuff. As long as people are absorbed by the story, I think there’s some flexibility there.”
So there you have it, a little bit of insight to whet your appetite for all things ‘The Last of Us’ which should hopefully tide you over until we get more concrete release date intel.
Related: Everything Everywhere All at Once Wins Best Picture at the 2023 Academy Awards
Related: Jesse Armstrong Confirms ‘Succession’ Will End With Season 4
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.